China begins three days of military drills in Taiwan Strait

PLA Announces United Sharp Sword Exercises Amid Chinese Anger Over Meeting Between President of Taiwan and Speaker of US House.

China has announced three days of military exercises around Taiwan amid anger in Beijing over Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen’s meeting in California with Speaker of the US House of Representatives Kevin McCarthy.

China, which claims Taiwan as its property and has not ruled out the use of force to achieve its goals, will conduct “combat readiness patrols” from April 8 to 10, the People’s Liberation Army’s (PLA) Eastern Theater Command said in a brief statement. . on Saturday.

Command spokesman Senior Colonel Shi Yi said United Sharp Sword would involve police patrol exercises in the Taiwan Strait, “north and south of Taiwan, and in the sea and airspace east of Taiwan”.

Tsai met McCarthy on his way back from a tour of the two remaining formal allies of the self-governing island in Central America and arrived home Friday.

Beijing had threatened retaliation even before the meeting took place. The aircraft carrier Shandong was spotted passing through southeastern waters off Taiwan en route to the western Pacific Ocean hours before the encounter was scheduled for Wednesday.

Beijing on Friday announced tougher sanctions against Hsiao Bi-khim, Taiwan’s de facto ambassador to the US, and the Ronald Reagan Library where Tsai and McCarthy met, but held back from the more overt response that followed the visit to the island last August from McCarthy’s predecessor Nancy Pelosi. On that occasion, China staged days of war games around Taiwan, even launching missiles over the island.

Analysts said the more muted response to the Tsai-McCarthy meeting could be because it took place in the US, or because it coincided with a visit to Beijing by French President Emmanuel Macron and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen .

Tawian’s defense ministry said new PLA exercises threatened regional “stability and security”

It previously said it had seen three ships and 13 aircraft at 6 a.m. local time (22:00 GMT) and that “four of the detected aircraft had crossed the centerline of the Taiwan Strait and entered southeastern Taiwan. “.

A delegation of US lawmakers, led by Michael McCaul, chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, is in Taiwan and will meet with Tsai later on Saturday.